Frosted works five furlongs as Upstart jogs

BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. – Two of the leading candidates for this year’s Kentucky Derby, Frosted and Upstart, had a very good morning Thursday at Palm Meadows.

Frosted was the first of the pair on the track immediately after the renovation break, working five furlongs in 1:01.38 with regular exercise rider Rob Massey aboard. Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin and his brother, Neal, made a last-minute call at 6:30 a.m. to push the work up one day with rain in the forecast the next two mornings in south Florida.

“We just felt if we worked today, we wouldn’t have to worry about rain the next two mornings, and it gave us plenty of time to bring him back next Friday to work again,” said McLaughlin.

Looking a picture of health, Frosted eased away from the pole, just shading 13 seconds for his opening quarter. He settled into a nice, comfortable stride, posting splits of 25.14 seconds and 37.14 before coming home his final quarter in 24.24 while going easily. Massey never moved a muscle in the saddle. Frosted galloped out six furlongs in 1:14.66.

“We normally go a half-mile the first work back after a race, but he’s fit,” said McLaughlin, who was in New York on Thursday. “He wasn’t blowing at all after the Wood, so we decided to work five furlongs. He’s doing great. My brother said afterwards that he was happy, the rider was happy, and the horse was happy. All systems are go.”

McLaughlin said Frosted will have one more five-furlong work next Friday at Palm Meadows before the Derby.

“At the moment, that’s the plan,” said McLaughlin. “There’s an outside chance I could move him to Churchill Downs and have his last work there – the weather can be tricky in south Florida – but that’s very unlikely right now. He’s trained great and done so well at Palm Meadows. It’s quiet there. It just seemed to make the most sense to bring him back down there from New York after the Wood and let him go back to what we knew already works for him.”

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Upstart jogged past Frosted, whom he defeated in both the Holy Bull and Fountain of Youth stakes, while his rival was in the midst of his work. Upstart, who missed a scheduled work of his own Saturday due to a sinus infection, jogged once around the nine-furlong oval, accompanied by trainer Rick Violette’s stable pony, before reversing direction and galloping a very energetic 1 3/8 miles under regular rider Vicky King, getting stronger the farther he went.

“He looked like his old self this morning,” said Violette. “I couldn’t be happier with the way he went. We took blood work on him yesterday, and all the reports came back excellent. His appetite is good. His temperature is normal. Everything is moving in the right direction for him right now.”

Violette said he might give Upstart one more day of galloping before his next work, although he said with the way he went Thursday morning, he could move that work up to Friday if the weather necessitates such a switch.

Upstart is scheduled to have two works at Palm Meadows before departing for Churchill Downs on the same plane as Frosted a week from Tuesday.

McLaughlin also worked Wedding Toast at Palm Meadows on Thursday, breezing her an easy half-mile in 48.83. The Grade 3 winner completed her final quarter in 23.62 before galloping out five furlongs in 1:02.03. Wedding Toast is coming off a fourth-place finish in the Grade 1 Madison at Keeneland on April 4.

“I’m looking at the La Troienne going a mile and one-eighth at Churchill Downs on Oaks Day for her,” said McLaughlin. “We’ve run her short three times now, and I know she wants to go longer. The alternative would be the Ruffian at Belmont on May 9.”